driving.. car packing tips!

[stahshee]

please help. we are driving the minny van. with 7 of us. we also have a huge side by side double stoller. how am I going to fit all the luggage and coolers and stroller? we are going to be at disney for 6 days , however we are taking our time getting there and home a total of 15 days. I am planning on doing laundry at the world. I will ship one box to my resort with our breakfast and snacks. however i am going to need the coolers with the road food. I think everyone will have to hold there bags for 12 hours that will be fun what should I do?

 

[theflowerladee]

what about a roof rack, one of those big plastic things you strap on your roof.
i am not sure of cost, but i would just look into it. I am in central NJ so i know how long your trip will be, i have driven many times and it is not comfortable if you are overpacked, i also have done that once my 2 kids had to sit indian style to whole ride with pillow and bookbags in the laps. if you are shipping food how about shipping some of the clothes?

 

[molly2004]

I want to know too! We're driving (DH and I) with two toddlers in a station wagon. We have a huge side by side stroller too. Let's hear those ideas! We're hoping not to need the roof rack (cuts down significantly on fuel efficiency). What do you pack for food along the way (we'd love to avoid asmany golden arches as possible). Just tips in general. Let's hear 'em!

 

[nickelsfamily]

I Agree With Pp- Send Some Of Your Clothes Ahead With The Food.

As Far As Food For The Car-when We Travel Long Distances We Pack Things Like Water And Juice, Fruits, Goldfish, Pretzels, Pb & J, Cheese Sticks, Cereal & Protein Bars, Beef Jerky, Nuts And Some Chocolate For Me!!
Thats All I Can Think Of...i Know That There's Other Food We Pack But Can't Think Of It Off The Top Of My Head.

 

[bartleby1]

We have always needed a roof rack carrier for our family of 5. The strollers take up so much room and we have usually had a little one so the diapers, formula, etc, took up a lot of room too. Mini-vans are great for transporting people but don't seem to have enough storage space for the stuff for all of the people.

If your kids are small enough, you may be able to wedge a small cooler on the floor in front of them. It works great for a footrest for them so their little legs aren't dangling the whole trip. It might be easier to bring two small coolers, or maybe a soft-sided cooler that can squish a little, rather than one larger one.

If a roof rack carrier is out of the question, you probably will have to ship some stuff down. I know that there is no way we could fit in our van without the roof rack carrier. Maybe I'm just an overpacker though, lol!

 

[HunnyPots]

I'd leave the stroller at home and rent one for the parks. It'll cost you some but it will be worth it to have some room in the van. Also, we have a narrow cooler that we always use in the van because it fits snugly between the two middle seats.

 

[Desnik]

We have driven from NY many times with our 2 kids. When we went last year my sister was with us and we drove down in our SUV that seats 7. So we had alot of luggage, stroller, and needed room for the snacks/drinks and thier backpacks that were filled with their stuff to keep them busy.
We couldn't have fit everything without the roof rack. We bought the hard plastic type from Target. We were able to fit our umbrella stroller, and most of the luggage in it. I had a soft sided cooler with drinks and put it under DS legs(he's in a car seat so he didn't even hit it at all). All the doors in our SUV have very spacious compartments that fit all our snacks perfectly! Each kid had space next to them for their backpck or put it at their feet. It worked out well.

So, my advice to you:
Buy a roof rack(try to fit that stroller in there)
Use 2 small soft sided coolers(keep at kids feet)
Pack light!!(you will do laundry there)
Ship all breakfast items/snacks and some toiletries to the resort

Good luck!!!

 

[NotUrsula]

Years ago we decided on a rule re: road trips: If we don't take it when we fly, we don't take it when we drive, either. (The only exceptions being things that don't fly because they are prohibited for security reasons, like penknives.)

We normally carry a small cooler when we fly, so we would do the same when driving, but we don't get carried away with STUFF just because we can. You might want to try it, it's very liberating. (Also cheaper -- you'll get better mileage if your vehicle isn't weighed down to curb height.)

 

[daisyduck123]

Oh....I'm not sure how you're going to do it...

We drive 13 hours from here in Maryland, with only 4 people in our Chrysler Town & Country....& sometimes we barely fit everything in...we always bring too many clothes.

Maybe you could not bring too much food....there's absolutely no eating/drinking allowed in my van, so we don't have any food to bring. (We also do the Dining Plan, so don't need to bring food for our stay).

When we get hungry during the trip, we just stop to eat.
Maybe that would help you.

 

[Jacksmom99]

We've driven down several times in our minivan with 4 or 5 people (two of them being kids in car seats). I borrowed my dad's rooftop carrier from sears. It was not the square kind but the aerodynamically shaped one- the sport model I think it's called. I did not notice any difference in the fuel efficiency or any drag. In fact, in 2004 we drove straight into the remnant of tropical storm Bonnie and were able to arrive in Orlando the day ahead of
Charley. The carrier had most of my clothes in it as well as the stroller and it survived the storm without a scratch or a leak!

I've always packed the stroller in the carrier with anything else that will fit in around it. We have a full sized cooler that we put in the back cargo area of the van. We pack sandwich fixings, granola bars, water, juice boxes, fresh fruit, and lots of diet coke for mom and dad! As far as luggage, we always use duffle bags that will fit on end or laying down in the cargo area, in the rooftop carrier, or on the floor underneath the kids legs. When we traveled with my MIL I made her buy a duffle bag and approved it's size before it was allowed to be packed in my van!

Good luck!

 

[jenr812]

We bought a hard top roof rack from sears (the aerodynamic one) several years ago and we couldn't travel without it. We paid around $150 and have definitely gotten our money's worth.

 

[stahshee]

I can not get a roof rack I am renting the van So I need more help! I am thinking about bringing the jeep stroller and an umbrella stroller insted of my sisde by side. dh can help push. execpt for the days we split up in the park maybe I will uses a rental? Do you know the cost of a rental? fyi we will bring all our lunch/ breakfast on the way down. I my self have been clean and free from Fast food for 2 years ( lost 40 lbs). yesterday I took my day care children to MC Donalds to eat/ play and there was poopie on the play ground. ( mind you this was 9 am) It Am so not ever going to any faqst food for me or my children again. FYI I called dept of health!

 

[molly2004]

I can not get a roof rack I am renting the van So I need more help! I am thinking about bringing the jeep stroller and an umbrella stroller insted of my sisde by side. dh can help push. execpt for the days we split up in the park maybe I will uses a rental? Do you know the cost of a rental? fyi we will bring all our lunch/ breakfast on the way down. I my self have been clean and free from Fast food for 2 years ( lost 40 lbs). yesterday I took my day care children to MC Donalds to eat/ play and there was poopie on the play ground. ( mind you this was 9 am) It Am so not ever going to any faqst food for me or my children again. FYI I called dept of health!

Are your strollers similar enough that you can get a stroller clip and clip them together? That may be an option.

 

[PortieOwner]

Drive down in a Suburban or Tahoe. Your milage won't be much worse than a minivan with a roof rack and you will have a lot more cargo space.

Remember that the slower you drive the better your mpg, and that is doubly true if you have a roof rack.

Also, how much stuff can you buy down in Florida? Shipping is not necessarily cheap. last time I hit the nice Super Target in Kissimmee for all sorts of stuff: bottled water, milk, crackers, paper plates, sun tan lotion, ponchos, umbrellas, moleskin, etc. You can even buy some clothes down there, at least socks, underwear, and tshirts. The bigger problem will be getting all your vacation loot home.

Portie

 

[JudimouseNC]

We have driven to Florida so many times (most form NJ but now we live in NC) and we learned early on...DON'T OVERPACK!! This past October, we had to re-learn that lesson when we took our grandkids (we are raising them). We are going again in May so I learned the following:

~don't overpack clothes...I do laundry at the resort
~don't overpack "snacks" for the trip.....we wind up bringing most of it home
~don't overpack toys....the kids were happier watching DVD's in the car than playing with toys
~buy things like water and breakfast items in Florida
~use soft luggage like duffle bags....they can "mold" around things like the stroller

I hope that helps.

 

[java]

hmm we have 6 people in a minivan we went down last year with no problems. Also there are dining options that are not McDonald's on the way down. Man we found a GREAT healthy sandwich place right outside of Richmond VA(we are planning our driving times around eating there again..lol) and you can't beat some of those great BBQ places down south. Don't ruin your ride by overpacking food. We bought a combi double- it folds up nice and small and is lightweight. We packed 2 huge bags and 2 smaller bags for all of us. In the car- the kids carried their own fun bags. I had the cooler in front with me- full of drinks. I had a bag of non-fridge snacks right behind me. Use the Ziploc packing meathod. You will fit so much more in small space.
Now I do have the stow and go seating but the only thing I put under there on the way down was a case of water. Figure out a way to lie under the girl's legs if it is small enough- ours fits. Pack Light. Really the big change is shirts and you can wash stuff down there(or buy new ) Since you are renting a van can you rent a stow and go- there is tons of space down there.

 

[dmaz]

We use a soft duffle bag double roof carrier. Not the hard type. It was absolutely wonderful. They even survived a torrental rainstorm (3 states long) and a snowstorm and everything was bone dry. We are able to put all of our clothes up there and then just roll them off when we get there. Not sure if you could use those with the rental.
I also agree about the snacks. We never seem to eat nearly as much as I bring. As I've been reminded so many times Orlando is a city. The great thing about having the car is if you need it you can always go and get it.
Have a safe and wonderful trip!

 

[Minnie824]

I haven't read thru all the posts, but I just wanted to say...Do NOT wait til the day you are leaving to pack the car up. I took measurements, I was all sure I had the perfect way to pack. Luckily, we had some time the day before, since we were leaving at 1:30am...and I tried...didn't work. It took me almost an hour to figure out a way to fit in the 5 suitcases, playpen, double stroller, backpacks, etc. Definitely try ahead of time! The thing that caused the most problems was the double stroller...only fit certain ways, its a side by side. Next year, we're bringing a single one and no playpen, so I should have no problems. Good luck!